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An Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) is a new requirement for foreign nationals from visa-exempt countries arriving in Canada by air, whether to visit the country directly or to pass through in transit.

The authorities provide membership in the Federal Skilled Trades (FST) Class based on a pass / fail system. Applicants will need to meet all the eligibility requirements specified in R87.2 (3) – refer to Appendix A. To determine membership, the officers would need to complete the assessment of the applicants. Thereafter, they would be in a good position to determine whether the applicant is a member of the class or not. In case they find that the applicant is a member of the Federal Skilled Trades (FST) Class, they would continue processing the application. Similarly, if they find that the applicant is not a member of the Federal Skilled Trades (FST) Class, they would need to refuse the application.

Officers would need to refer to the table given below for understanding the scenarios they could come across. Based on the scenarios specified in the table below, the officers would need to take certain actions.

Possible Scenarios that the Officers Could Come Across

The Actions that the Officers Would Need to Take

If the applicant meets all the requirements for becoming a member of the Federal Skilled Trades (FST) Class…

The officer would need to:

Approve the application or,

Consider substituted evaluation, if the circumstances warrant it

If the applicant fails to meet any one of the requirements for becoming a member of the Federal Skilled Trades (FST) Class.

The officer would need to:

Refuse the application or,

Consider substituted evaluation, if the circumstances warrant it

If the officer is unable to arrive at a decision about whether the applicant meets the requirements for becoming a member of the Federal Skilled Trades (FST) Class because of the lack of information or documentation, or because the officer has serious doubts about the accuracy or legitimacy of the documents the applicant has submitted.

The officer would need to:

Write to the applicant and explain the concerns the officer has

Allow the applicant to respond to the concerns raised by the officer through correspondence or documentation and / or an interview OR,

All applicants would need to have sufficient funds available for settlement in Canada, based on the provisions specified in R87.2 (5). In certain situations, the authorities could consider waiving this requirement. It is worth noting that the funds would need to be:

Available and transferable

Unencumbered by debts or any other obligations and,

Sufficient for supporting the initial establishment in Canada

The authorities typically determine funds to be sufficient based on the applicant’s family size. This includes both accompanying and non-accompanying dependents. Typically, they use 50 percent of the current Low Income Cut Off (LICO) for urban areas that have a population of 500,000 or more – refer to Appendix D.

In case the applicant is unable to demonstrate that they have sufficient funds for meeting the requirements, the officers would need to refuse the application.

Note:

The authorities update the criteria for settlement funds each year, based on 50 percent of the Low Income Cut Off (LICO) totals [refer to Appendix D]

Applicants who filled out their Express Entry profiles prior to January 27, 2015, would have received correspondence notifying them that the authorities have re-assessed their profiles

These applicants might want to double-check that they still have sufficient funds, based on the new cut-off numbers, for supporting their families in case they immigrate to Canada

It is worth noting that while the change is small, the likelihood that the change could affect the applicant’s eligibility still exists